


The Pirate Catcher

by YurisSpanx



Category: Original Work
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Choking, Cock Slapping, Deepthroating, Double Penetration, Double Penetration in Two Holes, Enemies to Lovers, Eye Trauma, Frottage, Gay Sex, M/M, Minor Character Death, Pirates, Rimming, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Spanking, Swordfighting, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:28:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28754394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YurisSpanx/pseuds/YurisSpanx
Summary: As Captain August Vaan and his navymen neared the pirate ship, it seemed to materialise out of the fog, like the ghost it was fabled to be. August didn't believe in ghosts; he knew that Captain Elias Blighton Vergel Bellicose did not hold the keys to all the treasure boxes in the world. He did not possess magical powers capable of sliding back any deadbolt. He was a man, albeit a formidable man. A mere man who had never been caught in all his years of piracy, which some said started when he was barely out of his swaddling cloths. A mortal who had thieved more gold from the king than any other pirate. That excited August far more than the ghost stories.
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Captain August Vaan looked out beyond the bow of his ship, at the swells of water iced with whitecaps, undulating and warping the dull light reflected on each plane. The horizon was obscured by fog, the sea ending in a white blur. Up above, Henry's telescope jutted out from the crow’s nest. His whole body craned forward, like a string pulled tight.

Snap - the tension left him and he called out, “Boat ahead!”

August wheeled around to his crew and bellowed. "Man the cannons!"

He darted on nimble feet in his navy leather shoes to the wheel. Oliver's hands were resting on the spokes, and his silver and navy cap was sitting on the neat curve of his fringe, silver royal insignia gleaming in the foggy air.

"Take it close enough to get a good look, and prepare for attack," August said.

Oliver grinned. "Yes, sir."

After a salute, August ran across the deck to Darrian, his first mate, who was yelling at the crew to unfurl the sails. The silver brocade and navy roping of his uniform lay smooth over his firm chest, an almost preternatural neatness against the murky sea and sky and the chipped wood of the ship. He turned to August and saluted, then signalled for him to turn around.

A mast pierced the fog, just off the port side. Its blood red flag billowed and flapped from it. Sewn in gold thread were two crossed keys. Darrian gasped, and August's heart sped up. His whole body thrummed and ached to launch himself at that ship.

"I wanna be cheek to cheek!" he yelled back at Oliver, then to the deck crew, "Ready the grappling hooks and planks! We're storming this ship!"

Darrian placed a hand on his shoulder. "No cannons?"

"I'm taking him alive," August growled right in his face, hot breath fanning over him.

Darrian's eyes widened, and he nodded. He knew the strategy. Some pirates deserved more personal treatment.

As they neared the ship, it seemed to materialise out of the fog, like the ghost it was fabled to be. August didn't believe in ghosts; he knew that Captain Elias Blighton Vergel Bellicose did not hold the keys to all the treasure boxes in the world. He did not possess magical powers capable of sliding back any deadbolt. He was a man, albeit a formidable man. A mere man who had never been caught in all his years of piracy, which some said started when he was barely out of his swaddling cloths. A mortal who had thieved more gold from the king than any other pirate. That excited August far more than the ghost stories.

The planks were lowered as soon as the ship was within their reach, crashing down on the starboard and creating six slender walkways between the ships. August leapt onto the nearest one, his silver-plated gun ready in his hand, and ran over the wobbly plank of wood. He could hear the whoops and caws of his men following him. Ropes swung forward, carrying navy men to the enemy's deck. They landed in a throng of colour, hair, and flashing silver blades.

The soles of August's shoes slammed against the deck and he shot the pirate running for him. The bullet exploded against her stomach and stained her beige corset with a deep red, almost black. He stepped over her slumped form and unsheathed his sword, long, straight and sharp. It met the guts and arms of all who came near him, save those who wore silver and navy uniforms. Craning his neck and looking over the heads of his friends and enemies, he searched for the captain and his fabled tresses. He could trust his men to stick to the strategy and crowd the enemy against the edge of the ship while he sought out the captain.

A thud behind him, and the wood beneath his feet shook. He whirled around and - ah - it seemed that the captain had found him. Teeth bared and eyes narrowed under his tricorne hat, this could only be Captain Elias. Just as the rumours said, his jacket was gold and green, stained with blood beneath the emeralds sewn into the brocade. His black hair was a tangle of curls down to his waist. Pearls were strung around his neck; August imagined twisting and pulling them, choking him on his own greed. The only death fit for a pirate.

He lunged, and his blade hit Elias' with a clang.

Pressing close, the swords quivering between them, Elias said, almost too low and soft to hear over the din of battle, "It's lovely to meet you, too, Captain August Vaan."

Heat rushed over August and he yelled out, crashing his sword down to wrench Elias' away from his face. But Elias just slashed at him, narrowly missing his chest as he dodged. August lunged again and Elias ducked, only to have August's blade settle on his shoulder, almost gentle. The golden plume rising out of Elias' hat wavered. August reached down and plucked it. While he fastened it to his escharpe, among the rows of medals pinned there, Elias slammed his sword against August's. He leapt up, outrage clenching his jaw. August laughed, a sound as cold, hard, and sharp as his blade, with the same glint in his eyes.

Their swords locked between them, again, the ring and grind of metal against metal.

August leaned as close as he dared and said, "Do you think you'll be the first pirate to escape me?"

Elias laughed loud and hard, eyes gleaming with mirth, but still focussed on August and his sword. "You haven't caught me, yet. Your record will remain intact, and so will mine. No servant of the King will ever catch me."

August gave a particularly forceful thrust, and they surged away from each other, chests heaving and swords still raised.

"How about a negotiation?" Elias offered. "Before one of us nicks the other's coat?"

"You can slice my uniform to shreds, for all I care," August said, then raised his sword to block Elias' one-handed jab.

"Perhaps I will." There was a wicked, sultry light in Elias' eyes as he leaned in close, over the X of their swords, and reached behind August.

August paled, but no knife jabbed between his ribs, just a large, firm hand, sliding down his back to cup his ass. Blood rushed back into August's face and his skin stung. His gasp was too shaky.

"I'd love to see what's underneath this uniform," Elias said, almost too quiet to be heard.

August gulped, clamped his mouth shut, and breathed hard out his nostrils. Lust licked his groin and he stumbled back. His sword dislodged from Elias', and that was all the opportunity the pirate needed to lay his blade against his neck.

"Reed!" Elias bellowed.

Less than a moment later, August felt smaller hands at his wrists, and the rough press of rope. He struggled, but Elias pressed his blade more firmly against his neck, and he stilled immediately. His wrists were bound as he stared at Elias with bile rising in his throat and hot anger flushing his cheeks.

"Thank you, dear. Please escort our guest into the drawing room." Even when speaking with manners, Elias' voice was like knives, sharp and sardonic.

"Aye, aye, Captain." The man behind August was far too jolly.

As soon as Elias' blade left his throat, August began thrashing, wide eyes looking all around him for his crew. But he was wrangled in strong arms into a cabin, and only caught a glimpse of his blue-clad friends. He was shoved into a wooden chair and tied to it with more rope.

The man, who must have been Reed, smiled up at August from where he knelt by the chair. His bright eyes, smiling their way into thin crescents, seemed at odds with the tight and unbudgeable knots he was tying, his muscles firm in his sleeveless vest. His honey coloured hair was down to his shoulders in waves, and a long, thin scar cut across his left bicep.

"Looks like Captain Elias's the pirate catcher, today," he quipped. "You know, since he's a pirate and he caught you."

August was sure he'd laugh about the inane joke later, retelling the story while drinking with his men. For now, he just said, "That swashbuckler has _not_ caught me."

"If you say so." Reed shook with silent laughter. "Captain Elias will have other ideas."

“I’ll take it from here,” Elias' sardonic voice sliced through the room. The smile he gave Reed was both affectionate and dangerous. “Make sure every last one of the King’s bitches ends up in the sea.”

“The sea?” August stood up halfway, but Reed smacked his hand down on the back of the chair and sent its legs slamming into the floor.

“Aye, aye, Captain Elias,” Reed said with a flourishing salute and left the cabin.

Though the room was large, it suddenly felt too small to hold Elias as he sauntered towards August and laid a hand on his shoulder. His hair took up far too much space, to begin with. August kept as still as possible and met Elias’ smirk with a glare. Suddenly, Elias heaved a dramatic sigh, head and shoulders sagging.

“Oh dear,” he turned away from August and started pacing. “I knew I wouldn’t kill you, but I never fancied this.”

Relief and apprehension flooded August at once. “What do you mean?”

“I mean.” Elias turned back to August and advanced. He placed both hands on the back of the chair, either side of August’s head. Their faces were too close. August tried to breathe without smelling Elias’ citrus cologne (a pirate that didn’t stink? It was unimaginable). “I like you too much to do what I should do.”

August’s eyes widened and he reeled back on the rear legs of the chair, even as his chest exploded with warmth. “You can’t say that! Unsay it now!”

But Elias did not. He took August’s chin gently between his thumb and forefinger. The front chair legs knocked back to the floor. Elias’s lips were only slightly chapped. They pressed gently against August’s. Want galvanised August and he surged forward, almost catching Elias off guard. After a gasp, a stumble, their lips fitted together in a tight embrace. August breathed hard through his nose as he sucked and bit at Elias's bottom lip. His arms strained in their bonds.

Elias smoothed his hands down August's cheeks, neck, shoulders, and broke the kiss to reach behind and untie him. He bit his lip in an expression of concentration August reluctantly found adorable. He rolled his eyes as he wrestled with the rope.

As soon as August was free, he pushed Elias back and leapt up. He hesitated at the door, to stare at Elias's wide eyes and set mouth as he lay sprawled for a shocked moment.

"I'll see you again," August said, low and sultry, then bolted out the door, past the pirates waiting outside, and dove over the side of the ship and into the sea.

He dove beneath the swell and forced his eyes open against the sting of salt water. The hull of his ship, the HMS Ace, was visible just past the murky grey in front of him. He swam to it, broke the surface with a gasp, and climbed up, slotting his fingers and toes into the grooves in the wood. Something hard bounced off the wood beside his head; he ignored it and kept climbing, until a rope was lowered above him. He grabbed it and let it lift him up and over, onto the deck.

Now that adrenaline had left his body, his senses converged on him. Stinging eyes, burning lungs, waterlogged fabric hanging over his goosebumped skin. Violent shivers took him. He sat up and tried to stand; the deck was too hard and rough on his back.

"Captain! That was amazing! No, don't try to stand." Two hands pressed down on his shoulders.

He looked up to see Martin crouching over him. He wanted to tell him who gave the orders on this ship, but instead just exercised his bottom jaw in circular motions.

"Take him to the infirmary." He heard Darrian's voice.

Martin picked August up bridal style, despite his growls and a poorly aimed kick at his arm. He was carried past his men, all dripping with seawater and hoisting the sails. Why were they still working while he was being carried like a baby?

“What’s happening?” he found his voice.

“Hades’ Mermaid is escaping,” Martin said.

August laughed bitterly. “We never caught her.”

“We’re lucky to have boarded her at all. She’s fast - much faster than us. Darrian ordered us to chase her, but…” Martin paused as he opened the door to the cabin and took August down the dark corridor to the infirmary, “I’m glad you got out of there.”

“I should’ve stuck my knife in him,” August muttered.

“The rest would’ve butchered you!”

“Still...would’ve been worth it.”

Martin shook his head, but his eyes were smiling with pride.

“Put me down, please. I can walk.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Martin set August down gently, and he walked into the infirmary on his own two feet, just in time to see Doctor Ferris thump Keller on the chest with the balls of his palms. A spurt of water ejected from his mouth, and he sat up, coughing and gasping. Ferris gave him a glass bottle to drink from.

While Keller was wincing at the taste, Ferris looked up and cheered, prompting whoops and claps from the men lying in the beds that lined the walls, covered in various amounts of blood.

“All bodies accounted for, and breathing!” Ferris announced.

August strode forward to hug Ferris, cupping the back of his head and thumping his shoulders. “Thank you. You’ve done well.”

When he pulled away, Ferris’s eyes were glistening and his lips were contorted. A sob broke through, and he leant up to give August a wet, hard kiss. August threaded his fingers through Ferris’s short white hair and returned the kiss as fiercely as it was given. Another cheer rose from the wounded, and August broke the kiss, blushing, laughing and running a hand through his own hair.

“Ah! My hat!” He patted his head.

“We’ll get you a new one when we make port,” Martin said, patting August’s shoulder.

“How many is that, now? Fifteen?” Bartholomew said from one of the beds. A bandage covered most of his arm.

August ignored his tease. “What happened to your arm?” He turned to Ferris. “Will it be alright?”

“Yes, it’s a deep gash, but it should heal into a nice scar.” Ferris nodded. “But your neck…” He reached forward to brush his soft fingertips against August’s neck, just above where Elias’s blade had forced him into stillness.

August winced and drew back. “Tend to everyone else, first. I’m not going to die from this scrape.”

“Yes, of course, Captain,” Ferris nodded and turned back to Keller, who was sitting with his head on his knees. When Ferris patted his shoulder, he gave a wan smile and thumbs up.

As Ferris continued to mend wounds and press his stethoscope against erratic heartbeats, August sat on the edge of each navy man’s bed and listened to the stories of their injuries. His favourite was Zach’s, who had suffered a slash to the chest and a concussion from a woman dressed in a coat and breeches. She had been aiming for Errol, but Zach could never miss an opportunity to defend and impress his lover. Errol had been curled around Zach ever since he’d carried him into the infirmary.

“Alright.” August squeezed Errol’s shoulder. “Zach’s alright, and your help is needed outside.”

Errol looked forlornly at Zach, who nodded and said, “I’ll be outta here by nightfall.”

With a kiss goodbye, Errol trudged out of the infirmary. August couldn’t cut him too much slack. On another ship, the pair would have had to hide their feelings behind their acts of bravery and manly hugs. That, of course, was why they were on August’s ship. The HMS Ace had a reputation within the gay community back on land, unbeknownst to the Chief of Navy, Commander Simon.

When Ferris had tended to all but August, he took him into his office beside the infirmary and closed the door.

“You’re alright?”

August nodded, then winced as the action aggravated his wound.

“Ohh.” Ferris clicked his tongue.

He pressed August onto the chair by his work table and bent down to clean the wound. The cloths he used were always wet with a bitter smelling liquid that stung the back of August’s brain.

“You’re lucky he didn’t do worse,” Ferris said.

August thought about what Elias had _really_ wanted to do and felt his face heat up. He hoped Ferris couldn’t tell. His hands were right on August’s neck - of course he could tell. How weren’t his fingertips scalding?

“I think the rumours are true,” August said. “He’s not as violent as the others. We didn’t even have any casualties. He just has a fast ship - that’s why he hasn’t been caught. There were women on his ship. I thought that was against pirate rules.”

“Are you impressed?” Ferris leant back and studied August’s face.

“No.” August squared his shoulders. “He’s a pirate. The biggest swashbuckler I’ve ever seen.”

“He can’t be all show. He caught you, and you’re the best.”

August grimaced. “I wasn’t at my best, today. Next time, I’ll catch him.”

He felt the certainty of this course through his body, and repeated it in his mind until it felt like the only possible reality.

~*~

“Do you want to know what he did, after your…” Commander Simon cast about for the right words, and settled on, “first failure?”

August swallowed hard and continued to stare at the top of Simon’s desk. The glaze was starting to rub off and show the rough, dull wood beneath. His new hat sat uncomfortably tight around his head. He nodded.

“He attacked a royal cargo ship carrying a gold statue of our lord and saviour, Jesus Christ. What does a pirate need with that? Godless heathens.” Simon shook his head and pressed his fingertips to his forehead.

“In my experience,” August said quietly, “many pirates are devout Christians. They even use their faith to justify what they do.”

“They may think they know God, but God doesn’t know them.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry I didn’t stop him.”

“It’s okay.” Simon reached across his desk to pat August’s shoulder. “You’re our best, and he’s slaughtered so many of our ships. If he’d done the same to yours, that would be it. The pirates would have full reign.”

“Thank you, Commander. I’m sure I’ll catch him, next time.”


	2. Chapter 2

Elias jumped up at a knock on his cabin door and adjusted his mauve and silver coat over his shoulders. He opened it upon Reed, who held a large scroll of parchment under his arm. Gasping, he ushered him in and towards the table that was already strewn with maps and pins. Reed set the parchment down, and it began to unroll and reveal at least three different maps.

“First,” Reed pressed his finger to Elias’ lips in a smooth motion, “a gift.” He knelt and pulled a golden plume out of his satchel, presenting it to Elias with a flourish.

Elias gasped and plucked it from Reed’s fingers. “It’s even bigger than my last one! Thank you!”

“I swiped it from a stall at the market.” Reed stood up and leant against the table. Elias crowded him against it, until he was sitting with his legs on either side of Elias’ hips.

“Weren’t you supposed to be collecting supplies?” Elias twirled the feather against the inside of Reed’s wrist, then up his bare arm.

Reed giggled but didn’t pull away. “We did that, too. Don’t you trust us?” He wound his arms around Elias’s shoulders.

“Well, you are a bunch of thieving miscreants.” Elias threw his head back and laughed.

Reed leant forward and attached his lips to Elias’ exposed and vibrating throat, humming as he licked and sucked at the skin.

Elias’s laugher dissolved. “Ohh.” His hand came up to thread in Reed’s hair. With his other hand, he twirled the feather down Reed’s neck and under his shirt collar. “I wonder if that captain still has my feather pinned to his sash.”

Reed hummed ponderously, then detached his lips from Elias’ neck with a slurp. “He was a pretty one. I wouldn’t mind getting captured by him, if you know what I mean.” He wiggled his eyebrows and his hips.

“You would lie with the enemy?” Elias walked his fingertips down Reed’s chest.

“Like you wouldn’t, either,” Reed scoffed. “What did you _really_ want to do with him, when you caught him?”

Elias bit his lip and considered his words carefully. There was no denying the movement in his trousers, however. Reed leant back and braced his hands against the parchment behind him, a triumphant smirk on his face.

Before Elias could deny anything, his door opened without precursor and Amber barrelled in, her boot buckles clinking.

“A crown inspector is trying to board the ship.”

She ran back out the door, with Elias and Reed after her. True to her word, a man in a curled white wig and sedate black coat was arguing with Neville at the wooden ramp connecting the ship with the dock.

“Please state your real name,” the official was stating in a terse voice.

“That _is_ my real name. Just ‘N’.” Neville had his hands on his hips, filling the walkway with his entire being.

Elias looked around at his crew, who were all packing supplies into the cabins and storage spaces under the deck. Irene and Charles were still on the dock with paper packages in their arms. Elias caught their eyes and clicked his fingers at them, then reached for a wooden plank at the edge of the deck and extended it over the side. As soon as it touched the dock, Charles and Irene darted across it, and they tucked it away once more.

“Anyone else on land?” Elias asked them.

They both shook their heads with confidence, so Elias had to trust them. If anyone had snuck off to the tavern, it was their own fault.

He walked up behind Neville, who was pointing at a piece of paper and saying, “We’ve paid our levies; it says so, here.”

“Sir, the royal seal is stamped in the wrong shade of blue. I’m afraid I can’t accept these papers.”

“Hello, there.” Elias pressed a hand against Neville’s shoulder and he let him pass through to stand in front of the official. He kept his voice pleasant, but with a bite. “I’m Captain Elias Blighton Vergel Bellicose. Have you heard of me?”

The official gulped visibly and paled.

“It seems so. Please remove your boots from my ramp. I need it back, now.”

The official hovered on his back foot. “I first need to ascertain that this ship is here on legal business.”

“This ship operates outside the law, where you have no jurisdiction.” Elias stepped forward, into the official’s personal space, making him step back.

“The crown has jurisdiction over all men who enter these ports-” The official ceased his speech when the tip of Elias’s dagger pressed against his throat.

“Off.” Elias made a shooing gesture with his other hand, and the official stumbled back.

As soon as he was off the ramp, Elias and Neville leapt on board and lifted it off the deck. Just in time for three more officials, these ones sword-wielding, to hurry towards the edge of the dock, the ship set sail and began to pull away. Elias looked up to see the crossed keys flag waving in a facetious thank you for the town’s hospitality.

“Full speed all day!” Elias called out. “They’ll have naval ships after us within the hour.”

~*~

Hades’ Mermaid sped on through the clear, calm seas, wind billowing in the sails and sending little gusts about the ship. Ships were spotted on the horizon, but none approached. Towards late afternoon, Victoria sent word down from the bird’s nest: the silver and navy flag of the HMS Ace had been spotted.

Reed studied Elias's face, a wily grin spreading over his own. "You want to play."

Elias stiffened. Reed hadn't even deigned to ask it as a question. A curl blew across Elias's face and he shook his head to whip it back with the others.

"This isn't a game." He stared at the ship on the horizon. It would never catch them without a little help. "But I'd like to steal back what I've already claimed."

Reed's grin spread wider and he ran off to give the order with a spring in his step.

The sails were furled and guns were loaded. Elias moved to the bow of Hades' Mermaid and barked orders at anyone who approached him, though there wasn't much to do but wait. The HMS Ace would close the glassy distance for them.

Once he could make out the figures of the men on board the opposing ship, Elias began to scan the deck for the lean form of Captain August Vaan. Elias stood with one foot on a crate at the bow of the ship, hand on the handle of his sword, letting the wind catch in his hair and blow it out behind him in a black imitation of waves. He was imposing, impressive, dangerous; he was _the sea_.

He looked up into the sails of the Ace just in time to see that sought after figure launch himself from the topmost mast and swing towards him on a rope. An arm was encircling his waist before he could react, and then they were sailing back towards the other ship. Air rushed under their feet and the two ships lurched in his downward view. The sea now looked too solid and far away, the sky too close. He screamed.

They crashed onto the deck, and Elias would have keeled over if August’s grip hadn’t been so firm. He was marched through throngs of silver and navy uniformed men, all with straight backs and hands on swords and pistols.

A tall man with large eyes rushed forward and said, “I’ll help you, Captain.”

“No. Thank you. Officer.” August’s voice was stilted and tense.

Elias didn’t struggle, and told himself this would all go his way, though he did feel a thrill of fear at the thought that August may have his way with him, then string him up like every other pirate. August shoved him through the cabin doors and into a small office that could barely fit both them and its desk. Even so, August stepped back and unsheathed his sword.

“Fight me,” he commanded, sword light and ready in his hand as he hopped on the balls of his feet.

Elias smirked and unsheathed his own sword. With one quick slash, he swiped August’s sword out of his hand and let go of his own. They clanged together on the wooden floor. “We both know that’s not what you want to do.”

Elias advanced, and August stepped back, chest heaving under his starched coat. His jaw was clenched, a muscle twitching just below his cheek, and his hand still seemed to hold an imaginary sword. Elias walked with easy strides as they circled each other, slowly closing the distance while August’s breathing intensified into growls. Elias’s heart thudded hard at his chest, like it might shake the jewels off.

But August still wore that feather, pinned with the rest of his medals. Elias reached forward to take it back, and August’s hand closed around his wrist. His grip left no room for blood circulation. He stepped close to Elias, growled low and deep as his eyelashes wavered up and down, then grabbed his face and crashed their lips together. Elias groaned, gripped August’s collar, and sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. Their pelvises met and legs slotted together as they stumbled in the confined space, bumping into the desk and walls but never staying in one place.

August pulled Elias’ head back by the hair and shoved his tongue deep into his mouth as he ground his hips against him. Elias moaned and let him tongue fuck him until his jaw ached and his drawers chafed against his engorged member. He nipped at August’s tongue and chuckled at its retreat. They started on each other’s belt buckles, slightly impeded by the way their hips wouldn’t stop bucking and seeking each other out.

Elias shoved his hand down August’s loosened waistband and grabbed his cock, spreading precome down from the tip. August’s head fell back and he groaned, nails digging into the threads at Elias’ shoulders. He flicked his breeches and drawers down, and they hung from the buckles at his knees, effectively impeding his own movement. Elias grinned at the sight of him, cock sticking up between the tails of his coat and encircled by his hand, eyes unfocused and cheeks flushed. That is, until August reached forward, wrenched open his breeches, shoved his drawers down and took Elias’s cock in a rough, dry hand that made him yelp.

“ _God!_ Too much!” Elias groaned, but still bucked into the circle of August’s hand. It couldn’t last, though, and he soon slapped August’s fingerprints and callouses away.

August grinned with malice and brought his hand up to shove two fingers deep into Elias’ mouth. Elias suppressed a gag. They touched the back of his tongue and tasted of his own arousal. He coated them in a thick layer of saliva, then shoved them out with his tongue. When August brought his hand back down to Elias’s cock, he spread the saliva through the new beads of precome travelling down the shaft.

“Better?” his voice was gruff and breathy.

“Yeah,” Elias grunted and began to thrust his hips in time to the pumping of his fist around August’s cock. He leant closer and brought the two slick heads together. August’s hips writhed in circles.

The door slammed open and light poured into the room, accompanied by the shouts of officers and pirates and the clash of their knives. Reed stood in the doorway, mouth open in shock. Neither August nor Elias could bring himself to move away from each other, and they stood frozen in their embrace. Reed’s mouth slowly morphed into a grin.

“Hey,” his deep, lascivious voice drew out the word. “I’ll buy you five minutes.”

He slammed the door closed again and the sound of his yell pulsed through the wood.

Elias and August turned back to each other, stinging with shock but aching with the need to spill their seed over each other. Their lips crushed together and their hips began to gyrate anew.

A scream sounded outside the door, and August’s mouth hung open in a shuddering breath. Hot cum leaked over Elias’ hand, and he let his eyes roll back as he rode out his own building pleasure. He kept hold of August’s cock, to feel the aftershocks throb through it, and came with a full body shiver.

They stayed forehead to forehead, hips still rocking slightly, though neither their lips nor cocks dared to meet again.

August swore, broke away, and grabbed a scrap of parchment to wipe his hands on. Elias took the other end and wiped the cum off his own hands, then hitched his drawers and breeches back up over his sticky privates.

“Good fight.” Elias winked at August, who scowled as he buckled his belt. “Time to join the throng?”

“You’re not going anywhere.” August shoved him against the desk, but Elias shoved him back and leapt for their swords.

“You want another fuck, you’ll have to catch my ship.” Elias hefted his sword, threw the other to August, and swung himself out of the door.

Reed was there, fending off three navy men single handedly. He laughed as he parried their jabs, never bothering to send forth any of his own attacks. August ran up the stairs behind them, blinking in the light of day. Reed didn’t stop his swordplay as he winked at August.

“Time to leave,” Elias said, and they surged forward.

As they slashed their way through the navy men that swarmed them, a hand reached out and grabbed Elias's coat tail. Elias turned, looked into August's fierce eyes, and brought his sword down. August flinched back at the last moment, and Elias's sword hit the wooden deck. Elias laughed and yanked it out of the groove its tip had made.

Reed was clearing a path through the sea of blue, and his crew were waiting with planks at the port side of the Ace. Though the sea was calm, the join between the two boats swayed and jolted. No doubt, the Ace's crew were trying to steer their ship away from Hades' Mermaid.

"If we don't go now, we'll have to swim," Reed called out over the melee.

Elias winced. He did not like the thought of jumping into that glassy surface, so far down. He grabbed Reed's free hand, and they ran for the planks, swords still whirling.

A navy man ran into the group of pirates holding the planks and sliced at Amber with a dagger, bringing her down. The plank fell as the ships lurched away from each other, held only by the crew back on Hades' Mermaid. It smacked against the side of their ship, so far away. Now, only one plank connected the two ships.

Sandy slashed at the back of the man pinning Amber, and he rolled away in agony. Red seeped through the slit in his coat. Ken and Sandy gave Amber a shoulder each, and they began their sideways shuffle over the skinny plank.

"Well! Nothing for it!" Reed wrapped his arms around Elias and dove off the side of the Ace.

Elias barely had time to scream before they hit the cold water with a smack. He came up spluttering next to Reed's head and shoulders bobbing beside him.

"You pillock!" Elias splashed great waves of water at Reed, who just dove under the surface and grabbed Elias's ankles.

He dragged him for a moment, until Elias finally kicked himself free and started swimming towards Hades' Mermaid. Up above, the plank was gone, and the rest of his crew were in the sea. He only hoped that Amber was safe on board.

Amongst the greens, yellows and reds bobbing in the water with him, he spied three silver and navy caps. Elias cursed and swam faster. A rope descended from the home deck above. So high above. Before he could start counting how many slats of wood made up the above-water part of the ship's hull, he grabbed the rope and squeezed his eyes shut. Slowly, he lurched upwards, swinging and banging into the hull as he went. His ankles squeezed the lower part of the rope between them.

After too long, he was pulled over the side and onto the deck. He was lifted onto his feet by hands he couldn't identify, and instantly reeled forwards. He gripped the edge of the ship and tipped his head over, but only dry retched around the wad of nausea blocking his throat. He felt like a barnacle, with his coat encrusted with salt water.

He looked up, and his eyes honed in on another figure mirroring his pose at the edge of the Ace. But he wasn't retching, he was laughing.

"I'll skin you alive!" Elias screamed across the gulf between the boats.

August's laughing mouth just got wider. They both knew it wasn't true. That is, if August didn't force Elias's hand.

"Did everyone get back on board?" Elias turned back to his crew.

"Yes," Neville said. "I think we should leave, before they catch you again and string you up."

Elias scoffed. "That won't happen."

"But don't you know what he's like? One hundred percent success rate. Obsessive in his pursuit," Neville said. "You've heard the rumours."

"I've heard some rumours about him," Reed said with a suggestive lilt.

Neville's lip twitched upwards. "What? Are we going to seduce our way out of his clutches?" He pressed a finger to his chin and looked up. "Actually, I could pull that off."

"Ooh, his clutches." Reed grabbed Neville's waist and squeezed.

Neville laughed and pawed him away ineffectually, and they stumbled off towards the helm.

Elias huffed and called out, "Tell Herc to steer clear of the Ace."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" they called back.

When Elias turned around, Irene was waiting for his attention. Her long hair was tied in a simple bun and her leather corset was laced over a plain cotton dress.

"What's the situation?" Elias asked.

"We have a stowaway," she jerked her thumb behind her and raised an eyebrow. Elias looked around her shoulder as she explained, "She's only fifteen. We can't keep fighting with her on board."

Elias nodded as he stared at the teenager sitting on the deck with grime on her smiling face and blood on her dagger and the hands that clutched it. Her hair was in two big, matted and tangled pigtails.

He called out to Crystal, by the mast. "Make sure all the sails are up. We can't have them catching us."

"Aye, aye, Captain," she called back.

Elias stepped towards the teenager, arms clasped behind his back and his mouth twisting between a smile and a scowl. She smiled up at him.

"Where did you hide?" he asked.

"On the other ship," she said. "I was just gonna catch a ride, but then I heard them talking about that swashbuckling Captain Elias, so I joined the fight and ran over the plank."

"You think this is the place for you?" Elias pursed his lips in an attempt to hide his smile.

"She stabbed two navy men in the ankles," Joy said from where she was leaning against the edge of the ship. "She's great! Can't we keep her?"

"You already have a cat. She's not a pet," Irene said. "She could get hurt."

"I know," the girl said cheerfully. "So could you."

Elias pressed a finger to his lips. "What do they call you, Miss Ankle Stabber?"

"Izzy," she said. "I have no last name. Never knew my parents."

Elias chewed on his nail, then realised what he was doing and clasped his hands behind his back, once more.

"Reed!" he called out, and turned to see Reed half way across the ship. He beckoned to him and pointed to the cabins. Turning back to Izzy, he said, "I will discuss your fate with my first mate. In the mean time, Irene, make sure she's not hurt."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Irene saluted him.

He met Reed in his cabin.

Reed sat on his map table. "What's wrong?"

"We have a fifteen year old orphan stowaway. She knifed two of the Ace's crew and wants to stay." Elias paced in front of him, tapping his chin.

"Aah, reminds me of someone I know." Reed leant back on an elbow and sighed indulgently. "Remember the orphanage?"

"I'd like not to," Elias snapped. His face softened when Reed pouted. "I see your point. She's better off here than somewhere like that. But that doesn't mean a fifteen year old should be running around a pirate ship."

"Come here." Reed outstretched his arms.

Elias ceased his pacing to lean against his side. He pressed a hand to his upper arm. The fine hairs were growing tiny salt crystals, and his skin was cold. Reed began gently pulling apart the curls in Elias's hair, untangling any sea-encrusted knots he found.

Elias sighed at the slight tug at his scalp. "Remember when we tried to poison Sister August?"

Reed hummed and nodded. "That was one of the nicest things you've ever done for me. Some of your best decisions are really bad ones."

Elias snorted. "Thanks."

"I mean ostensibly bad!" Reed laughed. "What I'm trying to say is... You could take Izzy on, or you could drop her at the safest port. I'm sure Serena would take her in. And...you could stick your knife in Captain August, or you could stick your cock in him."

Elias pressed a finger to his lips and shushed.

"Whatever you decide, I'll support you," Reed continued, "even if the others won't."

He winked and kissed Elias's finger, then drew away with his own finger to his lips.

"Okay." Elias breathed out slow. "I'll take her to Serena. Reed, you're wonderful."

He took Reed's face in his hands and brought him in for a kiss. Reed's mouth yielded instantly, and he moaned around Elias's tongue. When Elias broke away, Reed whined, but stood up and straightened his vest. They walked out of the cabin together, shielding their eyes from the sunlight glaring through a gap between the mast and sail.

Izzy was now sitting on a barrel, blankets bundled around her. Her face was now clean, save for some juice that trailed down her chin from the apple slices Wendy was feeding her. Leo was on her other side, brushing her hair with one of the combs they'd looted from a merchant ship. Irene was kneeling before her, wiping the blood off her hands. Izzy bounced slightly as she chewed, and her eyes were smiling.

Elias turned back to Reed and put his arm on his shoulder for support. He sniffed, whined, and said, "This crew is so lovely."

Reed chuckled and rubbed his back. Once the surge of emotion had dissipated, Elias turned to the group.

"I've come to a decision."

Izzy looked up at him, straightened her back and swallowed. The others stopped what they were doing to listen.

"You will receive swordsmanship training from N. If you can learn all of his moves by the time we reach Glenton, you can stay. That's two weeks. If N is not satisfied by that time, I'm handing you over to a barmaid in Glenton. Either way, you'll be scrubbing bedpans. Got it?"

Izzy nodded vigorously, leaping down from the barrel and bowing deep. "Thank you so much! You're the nicest pirate I've ever met."

"Thank you," Elias said sweetly, then gripped her chin and tilted it up. His tone darkened. "Just don't push me."

Izzy gulped and nodded in his grip.


	3. Chapter 3

August reclined in his chair, staring up at the cabin ceiling and twirling a golden feather against his lips. The soft brush of its vanes reminded him of Elias's breath, right before their lips crushed together. His eyes slipped closed and his back arched, shoulder blades pressing into the back of the chair. The quill and parchment on the table before him were forgotten in favour of memory. Elias's tongue, his rough hand, his mocking voice, like he thought he was better than him. Absurd. And yet, somehow alluring. His groin throbbed and he gripped the unyielding fabric at his thigh, fingernails catching in the threads.

"Captain!" A voice burst through the door, and Darrian tumbled in.

August jumped, dropping the feather in his lap. His jaw ached with more fright than a blade could ever cause him.

"Uh." Darrian's eyes bugged out of their sockets. "Enjoying yourself?"

August shrugged and blinked rapidly at him, any arousal totally gone.

Darrian clapped his hands together and squeezed his eyes shut. "Please don't think with your little head when you come and see what's outside."

August squinted at him. "Don't beat around the bush, Officer."

Darrian rolled his eyes and his shoulders, a wave of exasperation. "Come on!"

He was out the door before August could reprimand him for his insolence.

Huffing, August set the feather on top of his parchments, paused, then pulled one page over it. He grabbed his coat off the table and slung it on as he ran out the door.

Ah. So that was what Darrian meant.

Two ships were on the horizon, just close enough to see their flags. One flag sported the a swirl of blue and silver. The other flapped hard in the wind, its two gold keys warping and straightening. August gulped. Those ships were cheek to cheek, and a small plume of smoke billowed from the bow of the Infinite. If they failed to save a merchant ship as wealthy as this, he would never live it down. Attack was the only option.

"Get ready to board the Infinite from the starboard side!" August yelled.

Darrian gave him a salute and a nod, then ran off to give individual instructions to the crew. The sails were set to full and the weapons storage was unlatched. August turned on his heel and ran back down to the cabins. He burst into the infirmary and cast his eyes about. Zitao was still laying in his cot, hacking up a lung. The sheen on his forehead was thick over his green-tinged skin. Patrick was still more bandage than man. All other beds were empty.

"August!" Ferris emerged from the side door and launched himself at him.

Before he could preoccupy his lips with a kiss, August said, "We're about to fight. Are all our other soldiers fit?"

Ferris unwound his arms from August's neck. "Yes. Just watch out for Bartholomew's arm. The ligament has healed but won't be able to take much punishment."

August huffed out a disgruntled breath. Ferris was even worse than Darrian. This insolence would spread if he didn't stamp it out. "That's yes, Captain. Am I going to have to teach you manners?" He tapped the side of Ferris's jaw.

Ferris's eyes widened and he visibly shivered. "Don't tease me when you're about to risk your life."

"I'm not teasing and my life is not in danger." August whirled around and stomped back up the steps to the deck.

"Good luck, Captain!" Ferris's voice carried up after him.

August pressed his lips together in a vain attempt to hide his smile.

The ships were closer, now. Adrenaline and tension seized August for a moment, and he just stared at them. Planks linked the two decks, and the silhouettes of pirates, their knives held high, were coming into view. As if he would be intimidated by such a display. He placed his hand on the pommel of his sword, always ready at his hip, and walked to where Zach and Errol were already lifting out the Ace's planks.

"I'm gonna get that she-pirate once and for all." Errol was saying as he lugged the wood until it was in perfect position to be shunted straight onto the Infinite's deck.

Zach smiled. "You already got her back. Maybe she's still infirm."

"Then I'll go in their infirmary and stab her in the heart," Errol said through gritted teeth.

"Don't waste your time," August said, and they both jumped and turned to salute him. "Our priority is to seize the Infinite and make sure she carries on to port safely. We will not be boarding Hades' Mermaid."

They both frowned.

"Captain, we're letting them get away?" Zach asked.

"We're forcing them off the Infinite. I'm not explaining to Commander Simon how a bunch of merchants got caught up in a bloody battle and a pirate chase."

"Of course, Captain." Zach nodded.

That was better.

August walked the length of the ship, clanging his sword on any metal surface he could find, yelling, "Get the Infinite's crew to safety and don't let any pirate scum steal so much as an apple!"

The crew cheered. Under cover of the hubbub, August sidled over to Martin and murmured. "Get onboard Hades' Mermaid. Don't be seen by anyone. Cut their mast lines, then get right back to the Infinite."

Martin grinned impishly and saluted August. "Aye aye, Captain." He unsheathed his dagger, winked, and snapped it back into its scabbard.

August squeezed his shoulder and returned to where the planks were ready. Of course, he could have asked Martin to do much worse to their ship, but he couldn't risk Elias dying by anything but his sword.

The ships neared, and August's nerves tingled and crackled. The Infinite was full of people, most holding blades, and Elias was at the centre of them. August saw his wild hair before he saw him. Those large curls were all the rage with the gentlemen on shore, but the sea air had tossed them into chaos. August would never have allowed one of his crew to grow their hair so long, and most certainly not without a clasp.

Soon, he could make out the crew of the Infinite, coatless, bound with rope and sitting up against the cabin. Chests and crates were being carried across the planks bridging the two ships.

Elias's voice carried across the water before the HMS Ace was within boarding distance. "I'm not a complete brute. I won't steal everything. Perhaps I'll leave you with enough supplies to see you home. Of course, they'll go further if some of you defect."

He bent down and took a captive's chin in one of his large hands that could fit so well around -

August shook his head and galvanized his muscles.

"You're all strapping young men and we don't have enough of those for poor Reed's taste."

August's nerves sharpened painfully as he noticed Reed standing next to Elias, all smiles. The one who saw them. He'd have to die. But then Elias would hate him. Not that that mattered.

"Please take me!" A captive shuffled forward with a huge smile.

"My pleasure." Reed knelt down and lifted the captive over his shoulder. He hung like a bag of potatoes.

"Daniel, no!" a captive cried out. August recognised him from a dinner party Commander Simon had held. Walt Kimmel, Captain of the Infinite and one of the wealthiest merchants in the known seas. A weary crease that hadn't been there before was denting his forehead.

"Now, now. Respect his choice." Elias tapped Walt's shoulder with his blade. "Anyone else?"

At that moment, the Ace's planks descended upon the Infinite's deck. August ran across, flanked by his men, and slashed at a pirate who tried to throw his plank overboard.

"Ah! New volunteers?" Elias clutched the ruffles of lace at his neck.

"Never," August said with a glare straight into Elias's eyes.

"What a shame." Elias strode forward, swinging his sword to and fro, like it was an ornament and not a weapon.

Another pirate helped her injured crewmate up, and August gestured with his sword for them to step back. They looked to Elias, and only obeyed when he nodded. The rest of his crew stood motionless, swords and cutlasses in their hands.

"We're not going to hurt any of these lovely men, and we'd prefer not to hurt you, either," Elias said.

"My men are desperate to hurt you, so don't give them an excuse," August said.

Reed, still with Daniel slung over his shoulder, snapped August's concentrated tension. "Why don't you two negotiate in there." He pointed to the cabin. "We'll all behave ourselves out here, until you reach a peaceful decision that involves me getting to keep this." He patted Daniel's thigh.

Daniel gave a thumbs up and a tight smile. Little whimpers were heard from his crewmates.

August coughed and blushed at Reed's implication. "He can go where he wants, but if he chooses to stay with you, he'll be in danger of my blade."

"Oh, is that so?" Reed's eyes sparkled.

"Captain." A hiss from beside August. He turned to see Darrian with a clenched jaw, gesturing with wide eyes at the pirates.

August stared at him for a moment, shrugged, and turned back to Elias. "I will negotiate with you." He ignored the tap at his arm.

"Wonderful!" Elias sheathed his sword and clapped.

"Are you really going to exclude us from the negotiations?" A female voice spoke up. She wore an orange and red coat with brown breeches. August could almost feel the animosity seething out of Zach and Errol.

Elias whirled around and barked, "Amber! I thought I told you to stay behind."

"I'm fine. I can fight." Her jaw was a hard and obstinate line.

He stepped close to her and they muttered with close foreheads. August felt his gut clench in jealousy, then told himself he was an idiot. When they separated, Elias wore a terse smile and she a deep frown. Elias clicked his fingers and gestured for August to follow him into the cabin. He shut the doors behind them, cloistering them in a dark hallway.

August grabbed the pearls around Elias's neck and twisted. He yanked on them, making Elias gasp and gag, one hand to the pearls and the other reaching for August's hand.

"You're too cocky," August murmured against Elias's shallow breath. "You think you have me."

He watched the pearls dent Elias's neck, and smiled as he rasped and his eyes bulged in fear. Then he untwisted them and yanked Elias closer, to suck on the flesh that would hopefully bruise. Elias gasped and moaned, pulling at August's hair so hard his hat fell off. August enjoyed the sting in his scalp for a moment before letting his head be pulled back.

Elias laughed bitterly and said, "What happened to negotiating?"

"You think I'd negotiate with a pirate?" August smirked, tugging at the pearls again. Elias smacked his hand away from them.

"How about this?" Elias smoothed a hand down August's stomach. "Whoever lasts longest gets everything." He licked slowly over his bow lips, and August's heart thudded.

"I said I won't negotiate," August's words came out thickly.

"Then," Elias slipped his hand under August's coat and undid his fly, "I guess you'll be coming first."

He sank to his knees and freed August's cock from his breeches and drawers. His eyes were so wide and steady as he stared up at August, then his lashes fluttered down and he guided his cock into his mouth with those big, deft hands. He wasted no time in sinking his lips down to the base, and the gagging sounds as his throat constricted around the head sent August's mind into a spin of euphoria.

"Fuck!" August's hands grabbed at the air, then sank into Elias's locks and pressed at the back of his head.

Elias hollowed out his cheeks and turned his head to and fro, minute movements that felt like _so much_ on August's cock. Then he pulled off, resisting the push of August's hand, and smirked up at him.

"You know you can't beat that."

August breathed in a furious gust and nudged Elias with his knee until he sprawled on the wooden floor.

Dropping down, he said, "You know I can," and pressed his mouth against the bulge in Elias's breeches.

Elias groaned and undid his fly with skittish fingers, to shove his breeches and drawers half way down his thighs. August lapped wetly at his exposed cock until it was fully hard. Panting, Elias pulled him back by the hair and flipped him over by his shoulders. August's back slammed into the floor and he winced. Before he could sit up, Elias was crawling over him, upside down, until they were both lip to cock.

"Like I said, first to come loses," he said, breath fanning out over August's groin and making his knee twitch.

August grunted, unwilling to voice assent. He reached up to grab Elias's backside and guide his cock down to his mouth. He sucked the precome out of the slit while circling his free hand around the base. Elias moaned and his hips rocked; August kept him as still as he could. His lips fell open when Elias's mouth engulfed his cock once more and those beautiful gagging sounds resumed. Pleasure warmed his pelvis and he held tight to it, legs shaking with tension, shoulder blades digging into wood, hips lifted off the floor. He sucked hard at Elias's cock and scratched along an ass cheek, producing a moan that rumbled along the entire length of his own cock.

He scrunched his eyes closed and went rigid.

Elias coughed, spluttered and gagged as cum shot into his mouth and down his throat without warning. He sat up on his haunches, his dick slipping out of August's mouth. August lay still, melting into the wood without caring that it hurt.

After running a hand over his face, Elias took August by the back of his head and neck, tilting them back gently. He was not gentle as he leant back down and pushed back inside August's slack mouth, so August didn't bother to shield his teeth with his lips. Elias winced, but continued to thrust into his mouth.

"I'm!" he gasped.

"Mmm." August hummed around his cock, then swallowed the cum that filled his mouth.

He licked his lips as Elias withdrew, and let his head loll to the side. Elias hitched up his breeches and crawled over to lay beside him, his nose just centimetres away, his hand almost touching August's arm. His breaths were harsh, while August's had slowed down to near sleeping pace. Elias pulled August's breeches up over his hips and buttoned them while he just lay there.

Elias flicked his cheek. "You're cute when you're lethargic."

August grunted and wrinkled his nose. His eyes flickered over Elias, then up the gloomy walls. They creaked as the centre of gravity shifted, then a thud sounded down the corridor.

They both sat bolt upright, staring at each other in alarm, then raced for the source of the noise. They wrenched doors open, then slammed them shut on their soulless rooms and cupboards. The last door, at the end of the corridor and shrouded in shadow, August opened with Elias hovering over his shoulder.

A small form clothed in brown and topped with matching hair cowered in the corner of the cupboard. If he hadn't been shaking so hard, he might have blended into the woodwork. He looked up slowly, wide eyes wavering at the pair towering over him.

"I won't tell if you won't," he whispered.

August and Elias looked at each other. There was a twitch in Elias's jaw, and August felt his own start to ache with tension.

"Fair enough." Elias turned back to the cowering young man. He reached over August to close the door on him.

August sniffed. "Thanks for consulting me."

"You want him telling everyone you're drinking priate cum?" Elias raised an eyebrow.

"No - just-" August's shoulders tensed upwards, then released and his hands flopped at his sides. "Whatever."

Elias bit his lip, then started pulling at a piece of dry skin flaking off from it. August nudged him until his grip on the skin slipped. He may have enjoyed watching Ferris hack off infected limbs, but _that_ was disgusting.

"I need more balm." Elias pouted. "There'd better be some in this loot."

"How about this." August smiled facetiously. "You keep the balm, and the merchants keep everything else."

"Excuse me? Who spurted down my unwitting throat faster than a seagull shitting?"

August screwed up his face. "What kind of comparison is that?"

"I apologise. But no matter how much you like my cock, I'm still a filthy pirate, and I want my loot." Elias's eyes bored hard into August's.

August's mouth hung open as he pretended to think for a moment. "Half each."

"Half? I won the negotiation." Elias jabbed at his own chest with a finger.

"It wasn't a fair negotiation. I showed you my...weakness." August blushed.

Elias laughed. "The choking? Perhaps you are at a disadvantage. How about this? If you meet me at the nearest port in exactly three weeks at the Ventrap Inn, I'll show you my _weakness_. And," he twirled a finger in his hair, "I'll give you half."

"Ventrap Inn?" August screwed up his face. "Fine."

"Excellent." Elias slung an arm over August's shoulder. "Shall we go out and tell them all that we've come to the amicable decision to split the loot?"

August grimaced. Giving even half to a pirate was wrong, but...if Martin could do his job, then it would all be worth it. "Alright. But I'm telling everyone."

"Okay," Elias cooed and flicked his cheek.

August swatted his hand away with a hard slap that stung his own palm.

Elias straightened his coat over his shoulders and put on his tricorne hat. He gave August a once over, wiping a finger down the side of his mouth and adjusting a few strands of hair.

"Ready?" he said jovially, and August nodded.

August led the way out of the cabin, and was surprised to see the two crews lounging in the sun, chatting. Daniel was now lying with his head in Reed's lap. Clearly unsaveable. The rest of the Infinite's crew were still tied up.

Darrian stood up like a pin and strode to August. "What happened, Captain? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Officer. We have come to a decision." August said in the most authoritative voice he had.

"Don't let him blackmail you," Darrian whispered. His face was strained in worry, poor thing.

"It's not blackmail; it's negotiation." August turned to the rest of the crews and rose his voice. "We have come to a peaceful decision that half of the Infinite's wares will go to Captain Elias, in return for the safe release of all Infinite crew members. This does not mean that Hades' Mermaid aren't stealing, and they are still liable to be arrested for these robberies. However, at this time, our primary concern is the safety of the Infinite's crew."

"Is it?" said a voice said from the throng of August's crew members standing with gaping mouths. It sounded like Yardley. Contrary little bastard.

"How much did he pay you?" Darrian's voice was a tight whisper.

“Our new priority is shepherding the Infinite to safety. Retribution can be gained later,” August bellowed.

“You heard the man! Return half the loot to the Infinite’s stores!” Elias commanded, and his crew all grumbled and began carting crates back over the planks.

The woman in a coat and breeches gave August a glare so cold it would have stopped his heart if it hadn’t been so charged.

Elias’s hand landed on August’s shoulder and slid around to the back of his neck. August stiffened, every hair dead straight.

“I like how they obey you, even when they don’t want to,” Elias said lowly.

“I like how your crew look like they’re about to mutiny.” August straightened his back, turned on his heel, and stomped back towards his ship.

“Captain,” Darrian stopped him with a hand around his elbow. “Do you think you're behaving appro-”

August cut him off, “Make sure enough stores are returned and that the civilians are all untied, Officer.”

Darrian nodded with a grimace. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

August leapt onto a plank connecting the Infinite with the Ace, and darted across. He spent the next half an hour pacing his deck, trying and failing to keep his eyes off Elias as he squabbled with Darrian over what half meant.

“Captain.” Martin popped up beside him and handed him about half a metre of rope. “A souvenir.”

August stared at the rope, eyebrows scrunching together, then turning down and outwards as his mouth gaped. He looked up to respond, but Martin was gone. Instead, he was met with the sight of Hades’ Mermaid’s mainsail floating down, billowing, then collapsing onto the deck and covering a good portion of the crew. While his own crew cheered in surprise, Elias’s crew scrambled for their ship, loot forgotten.

Elias turned to fume at August, shoulders raised and elbows stiff obtuse angles. His hair billowed out behind him in a gust that rippled through the broken sail, and a creak made his entire ship groan and shudder.

“What did you do, you piece of shit? I’ll tear your throat out!”

August had heard that before.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as Elias saw the spade symbol of the HMS Ace's flag, he galloped to the bow of his ship and stood in the most dramatic pose he could muster, with the wind belting him. His hair slapped him in the face and caught in his hoop earring, but he kept his expression triumphant and fierce.

He spied August standing by his pretty little helmsman, hand at his sword belt. His voice carried across the wind in a tangle of sound, and Elias only made out the word, "Cannons."

"Cannons?" Elias shrieked and ran to the port edge of the deck. "You want to hurt my darling more?"

August's attention snapped fully towards him, and he stalked over to the starboard edge of the Ace. "You're capable of mending her!"

"Come over here and you'll need mending!" Elias yelled back.

"I thought you wanted to be friends!" August laughed. "I take it the Ventrap Inn is off?"

The hair rose on the back of Elias's neck. He only hoped the sound had only carried to himself. He looked behind him. Every member of his crew had their noses pointed towards him. Even Victoria in the crow's nest. He met her eyes and pointed ahead. She jumped and brought her telescope to her eye.

"Land ho!" she called down.

"What?" Elias turned to Reed, who was hanging upside down from a mast pole. "Reed! Get down and explain to me how we can be near land."

Reed leapt down and darted up to Elias. His hair was fluffed up and askew. "There's no land for days. It must be a mirage."

The crunch of wood splintering and breaking accompanied a tremor that tripped Elias onto his backside. August's hooting laughter carried across the waves.

Elias got back up and almost launched himself off the side of the boat. Reed grabbed him by the middle and held him firm.

"I'll smash your skull on these rocks!" Elias yelled at August's laughing form.

Suddenly, August grabbed the edge of the Ace as his balance was tipped. The hull caved inwards from a force beneath the waves.

Both crews scrambled to maneuver away from the rocks, but the sea shielded them from view. After three holes were gouged into the hull of Hades' Mermaid, Elias had to concede defeat.

"Anchor us here! We'll take the rowboats to the shore. Gather anything we could use to fix the hull, and supplies for the evening."

Amber took Elias's elbow and said, "Are we really going to leave ourselves so vulnerable?"

Elias gestured to the Ace, which was grinding against a rock, splinters scattering in the waves around it. "They're doing as badly as us. Maybe they'll sink."

He smirked, watching for August's figure, and was disappointed that he couldn't see him. Two men were dropping their anchor overboard. It splashed into the water with a clang, making their arms judder.

"Maybe both ships are burdened with incompetent captains," Amber muttered.

Elias spluttered and whirled around, but she was already on the other side of the boat, helping Izzy load supplies into a rowboat. His face prickled with shame, but he straightened his back and lifted his chin.

"Ravi! Fold that sail tighter! You want this boat to go on a journey while we're gone?" he barked, even though the sail was only slightly unfolded and the ship was well anchored.

Ravi's eyes widened and he hurriedly folded it as tight as possible. That was better.

Elias oversaw the packing of the rowboats while Wendy used a rod to check the depth below them. They both helped drop the boats into the deepest part she could find. They watched the little boats maneuver around the rocks, winding up to the golden shore on the horizon. A line of green foliage separated the sand and surf from the sky. It rippled under the wind, just like the sea.

Each rowboat made a few trips to the shore, carrying more supplies and passengers, until that strip of sand was populated with little moving figures. At a respectable distance from Elias’s crew, silver and navy figures were setting up tents and tables, though they just looked like geometric shapes from afar. Elias and Wendy took the last boat with Leo and Irene, each carrying a small pack of their own possessions to last them through the night. Elias had gold coins stuffed in his boots, but no one needed to know that.

As they approached the shore, sand mingled with the water surrounding them and replaced the rocks. Elias could see August carrying a limp man in a nightgown into a tent. When he emerged empty handed, their eyes met, and August marched down the sand. His boots stuck as the sand got wetter, and his march became exaggerated and wobbly. Elias laughed and held onto Wendy's shoulder, then leapt out of the boat and into knee-deep surf.

She pulled at his coattail. "Captain, don't let him rile you up."

"I give the orders," he said without averting his gaze from August.

His coat slipped from her fist as he waded out towards August, matching his ungainly stride. Every limb was charged with tension. Each wade felt like a pull inside his brain. The water was too thick, rolling with sand, sticks, and shards of shell, seeping inside his knee-high boots. August was too far away.

They reached each other where the surf was smoothing itself frothily against the sand. August's boots were covered in golden clumps, and Elias's were shining with gritty rivulets.

Though Elias didn't look away from August's wide, wild eyes, he knew there were other eyes on them. So many, scattered across the sand. How could he release the tension that was splintering his bones?

His fist slammed into August's jaw, and then he was pinning him into the waterlogged sand. Shallow waves carrying sea foam surged in between them, as August tried to throw him off. Their hands locked against each other, elbows out at right angles. Elias held August's hips down between his thighs, his knees burrowing into the sand. August's hips bucked upwards and tried to cast Elias sideways.

Elias ached to kiss those snarling lips and slide his tongue between those gritted teeth. He would do it - how could he not? He would kiss him.

Stronger arms hooked under Elias's armpits and pulled him up and off August, while August was dragged by the shoulders, kicking legs emerging from the surf. His navy coat was laced with sea foam and decorated with broken shells.

Elias turned, ready to punch whoever had him in their grip, but it was Reed. How could he hit Reed? He gaped at his smiling face and sagged in his grip.

"Darrian! Let me go!" August was kicking sand up as he wrested himself from his first mate's grip.

"Captain, please calm down. Your crew is waiting for your orders and I don't think it's wise to start a fight when we're stranded like this." Darrian kept a hold of the edge of his sleeve.

"I did not start the fight." August turned and glowered at Elias.

Elias straightened up and adjusted his collar. "Consider it payback for my mast."

August chewed on his lip. "Fine." He stalked up the beach with Darrian scrambling after him.

"Captain, we need fresh water," Reed said softly and let Elias go. "You could suggest August accompany you to search for some." He winked.

Elias laughed. "Aren't you sweet, looking out for me."

"Maybe I just want you to leave me in charge."

"Oh, has this always been your plan?" Elias pinched Reed's side, making him jump.

"Don't worry; you'll always have a place on my ship," Reed said, and they both laughed.

They walked up the shore together, to where August was letting Darrian brush the foam and sand off his coat. Darrian turned to regard him with suspicion, which only deepened when Elias said,

"You and me, searching that wilderness for some fresh water." He pointed at the wall of foliage behind the tents.

"Okay," August said at the same time that Darrian said, "Of course not!"

Elias smiled indulgently, then turned to face his crew. "Alright, listen up! I'm heading out to find you some water so you don't shrivel up. Reed's in charge, and he has my permission to slit the throat of anyone caught brawling."

No one spoke, and he blinked at them in surprise. Maybe he'd worn the mutiny out of them.

August turned to his own crew and called out, "I'll be supervising the water search and leaving Darrian in charge. You know his rules."

"This is a joke!" one voice called out, and was promptly shushed by the others.

August narrowed his eyes, grabbed a water canister, then stomped up the bank, towards the forest, leaving Elias to hurry after him. As they passed under the canopy of wide, leathery leaves, sunlight and the chatter from the crews dimmed. The smell of salt was replaced with rich, damp soil, more solid than the sand, but their boots still sank in and created deep prints. Chirps punctuated the air, accompanied by the rustling of feathers and scales against ferns, but no birds were visible in the leafy gloom.

"I suppose we could just dig into the ground." August pointed at his muddy boots. "Looks like the water level is pretty high."

"Where's the fun in that?" Elias slung an arm around his shoulder.

August bit his lip and looked around them. "I do want to explore."

He stared at Elias's hand and frowned. It was hanging right by his face. Elias tickled just beneath his ear, and he squirmed away, huffing. He fell back into step about a metre away from Elias, who closed the distance and pressed a kiss against his cheek. August turned his head and met his lips with a bite, then shoved him off and started walking faster. Elias just smirked and wandered behind at a leisurely pace, until August turned and gestured for him to hurry up. He rolled his eyes and dragged his feet, but jogged up to him.

"We've never been alone for this long, before," Elias said, linking arms with August and matching his stride. "I'll enjoy taking my time with you."

August's mouth twitched up, ruining his scowl for a second. "I'm already getting tired of you."

Elias hooted with laughter. Wings flapped in the trees, shooting out of the canopy and away from them.

"Even the birds are sick of you." August was letting himself smile, now.

"They can't handle me like you can." Elias pursed his lips at him.

August just laughed and shook his head.

Soon, they were covered in a light sheen of sweat. Elias wiped at his top lip with his sleeve and grimaced at the wet patch. August shouldered out of his coat and flung it over a nearby tree branch.

"You're leaving it here?" Elias asked.

"I'll grab it on the way back." August shrugged.

Elias raised an eyebrow, about to argue, but he rather liked the sight of August coatless, with his white shirt sticking to his chest. He could see the faint pink-brown of his nipples through the fabric.

"If you say so." Elias stepped forwards and pressed his thumbs against them. How could he not? This was the first time he'd seen them.

August jumped and swatted him away. "Pervert."

Elias grabbed his shirt by the waist and pulled him close. Fists in the fabric, he breathed against August's sweat-soaked neck until August squirmed and pressed in, hand at the back of Elias's head. Elias resisted the pressure and disentangled himself. August's hand reached out for him, and Elias took it, dragging him deeper into the forest.

The sound of trickling water caught their attention, and they doubled their speed, storming over foliage and swiping branches out of their way. In no time, they came to the tiniest stream, bubbling out of a bed of rocks and into the earth. It barely had a chance to live before the soil soaked it up.

August ran for it and tilted the mouth of the canister against the little fountain. While it filled, he stripped out of his shirt and bent down to unbuckle his boots. Elias's mouth ached at the sight of his lithe, bare back curving over. He moved in behind him and ran his hands up his sides, then back down to unbutton his breeches. August just grunted as he stood back up, kicked off his shoes and let his breeches and drawers fall to the earth.

Elias grabbed his small, pert ass and licked his shoulder, then sauntered away to a drier patch of earth and slowly removed each piece of jewelry. August lay down and watched him, one arm thrown over his forehead. When Elias started unbuttoning his coat, August gestured lazily.

"What about your earrings?"

Elias touched the hoops of gold. "They help me see. Don't you want me to see you?"

August snorted. "Stupid pirate superstition."

"It really works." Elias pouted.

"Whatever you say."

"Don't patronise me." Elias wrenched his coat off and pulled his shirt over his head.

August’s legs wriggled, and his cock twitched into half-hardness. His eyes were trained on Elias’s chest. Elias felt a lightheaded flush creep over his scalp and down his face. He walked over to August and pressed the toe of his boot against his thigh. August stared up at him through half lidded eyes. Elias descended upon him and stretched out along his body, and August’s hands instantly found his fly buttons. Once he’d undone them, Elias took his wrists, pressed them into the earth, and kissed him hard. Their teeth clacked together and Elias squeaked in discomfort, then moaned as August’s tongue pushed inside. The knees of his breeches became damp as he pressed down, while August rocked his hips up.

Elias moved his lips down to August's neck, to suck the flesh in between his teeth. He tasted of salt.

August groaned and ground against Elias's breeches. "Take them off."

Elias disengaged with his neck and leant up. "Patience."

August shook his head and his arms strained against Elias's hold. "Sit on me."

Elias laughed. "You think you're going in dry?"

August nodded and thrust upwards pointedly. "And you'll like it."

"You don't know what I like," Elias sang and delved down to suck over August's windpipe. "But I know what you like," he said with his teeth against his skin.

"Unh, no." August strained harder. His nails scraped the backs of Elias's hands.

Elias licked down to August's clavicle, and pressed hard with his tongue between his collar bones. August's gulp pressed back against his tongue. As August's writhing body slowed, Elias relaxed the pressure and kissed up to his ear.

"You know they'd hang you, too, if they knew," he murmured, both soft and abrasive.

"They won't," August growled.

"I could tell them, if you took me to court."

August scoffed. "I'd rather choke you on your ship."

"I'd rather a clean slice through my heart."

Elias let go of one of August's wrists and scratched a nail down his chest, over his heart. August shivered and didn't move his freed arm. Quick, tense breaths met between them.

"Okay," August said finally. "That's how I'll do it."

Elias hummed and flattened himself against August, mouth to his chest. He held his hips down with both hands as he lapped and sucked at a turgid nipple. Every squirm of his hips was stifled, leaving only his legs to writhe and kick, rubbing against Elias's breeches and boots.

"Take them off." His voice got higher with impatience.

He reached down to grab at the fabric over Elias's ass. The sound of threads tearing almost made Elias cease his exploration of the planes of August's chest. A palm came down hard over a cheek, and Elias jolted at the pleasurable sting that spread right around to his groin. He couldn't help the moan that vibrated against August's chest.

August laughed, his back arching. "You like that."

"No," Elias said into August's chest, but he couldn't help moaning when he did it again, this time harder.

August sat up, pushing Elias back, and said, "Breeches off, now."

Elias leapt up and scrambled backwards, pressing his back against a tree. He felt like he might faint of embarrassment if it weren't there to prop him up. August stood and slowly advanced, then pressed Elias against the tree with his torso. His cock slid, slick with precome, along Elias's stomach. He bit his lip and moaned.

He reached for Elias's waistband, but Elias slapped his hands away.

"Call me darling." Elias's voice was low and his eyes stared straight into August's.

"No!" August leapt back, limbs rigid.

Elias advanced upon him and slid an arm around his neck, to thread his fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. "Call me sweet."

"You?" August's voice shook through his outrage.

"Call me," Elias paused, lips at August's ear, "love."

"Shit, you sound like Ferris," August muttered as he shoved Elias away.

A knife of tension slammed into Elias's jaw. "Ferris?"

August ran a hand through his hair. "What?" He almost spat the word out. "It's not like you don't fuck your first mate."

"Yes, and?" Elias said like he didn't care, though he was battling with an irrational desire to possess August and murder whoever this Ferris was. "We're both virile men."

He reached out, took August by the back of his neck, and kissed him. August let him set a slow pace, gentler than all the other kisses they'd shared. His lips felt softer and wetter than before.

When they parted, August murmured, "Take off your breeches, darling."

Elias sighed and flushed, despite or maybe because of August's facetious tone. He bent down to unbuckle his boots and pull them off. August stroked down his sides and slipped his hands under his drawers until the material finally fell to the ground. The wind made Elias shiver.

He stood up straight and turned back to August. Now both naked, the press and slide of their bodies against each other was almost too much to bear. August's hand came down hard against his ass, no warning, and his legs buckled. He gripped August's shoulders and laughed a stupid, delirious laugh. He felt a twinge of fear. No one could save him if August decided to take advantage of him.

August smiled down at him and smacked him again, then pushed his other hand against Elias’s shoulder until he was on his knees, in front of his fully engorged member. Elias licked out at the head, then leant back, out of August’s grasp.

“No more teasing,” August whined, stepping forward and reaching for Elias’s head.

Elias smirked and veered away from him. “Stay still, lo-ver.” He gave the word a sardonic lilt and drew out the last syllable, then licked and bit his bottom lip.

August made a frustrated sound in his nose and obeyed, hands dropping to his sides. Elias gripped his wrists and held them against the tops of his thighs. He squirmed, and Elias held him tighter, firmer, until he couldn’t move without throwing him off. He didn’t, and Elias smiled with satisfaction. To reward him, he covered the head of his cock with his mouth. August groaned but kept still, until it became clear that Elias wasn’t going to move. He jolted so violently that Elias lost his grip and fell back on his ass.

“Get on my cock, you piece of scum.” He reached out for Elias, who slapped his hands away and punched him in the knee-cap. “Fuck!” August yelped as he collapsed.

Elias pushed him onto his back and crawled over him until their cocks brushed. He gulped on his moan and stopped himself from pinning August down and rutting against him. “Stay still, or I’ll bite your cock off and you won’t be able to fuck the king anymore.”

August trembled and stilled, even when Elias kissed down his chest, over his stomach, then pulled at his pubic hair with his teeth. He laved his tongue over his balls, and August panted harshly. His sphincter clenched tight as soon as Elias’s tongue brushed over it. Elias kissed down his thighs, leaving his pubic area entirely, and August’s voice strangled on his impatience.

Elias surged back up and sank his lips down August’s cock in one swift motion, engulfing him to the hilt. He gagged as August writhed and groaned. August’s head was thrown back so all Elias could see was his chin. The skin under Elias’s face bloomed with blush and goosebumps, and the hips under his hands shook. Elias circled the base of August’s cock with his thumb and forefinger, and held tight. August’s head thrashed to and fro, until he relaxed, panting, and Elias released his hold.

He started a slow rhythm, lips travelling the length of August’s cock, sucking a little harder each time, and always exaggerating his gagging, constricting throat. August bore it for an admirable length of time, so Elias let him finally grab the back of his head and thrust up into him. August’s cock hit the back of his throat hard. Elias scratched at his hips and squealed around him, and then his mouth was filling with cum. He coughed and let it fall out and over August’s spent cock and his own chin.

August pulled him up by the hair and laughed at the sight of him, and then every limb sank into the earth and he closed his eyes.

“Hey,” Elias nudged him with his forehead, with no response. “My turn.”

August groaned and cracked an eye open.

“Really?” Elias’s jaw clenched. He slapped August across the cheek.

August laughed, sounding so idiotic and adorable that Elias wanted to scream.

“Do that with your cock.”

Elias stared at him for a moment in shock, but he couldn’t refuse an order like that. He moved up to straddle August’s neck, then let his cock swing down against his cheek. It looked better than it felt, but the way August’s head turned with the blow and his mouth hung open in a gasp made it worth it. Elias’s cock throbbed angrily. He rubbed it against August’s cheek and across to his mouth. His hands came down around August’s neck, but didn’t apply any pressure. He held him like that as he pressed inside his slack mouth. August sucked and released, sucked and released, over and over, and Elias kept still, hovering with trembling legs and arms until the throb in his groin tightened. He pulled out, and jerked himself into climax over August’s face. Every nerve in his spine flared with pleasure.

He rolled over and lay next to August, and they stayed as still as death until the caress of wind and sound of water trickling reminded Elias of their surroundings. The canister was overflowing nearby. He crawled over to remove it from the spring and shove the stopper in, then cleaned his face in the fountain of water. Mud had smeared tracks on his knees; he scrubbed them while humming loud enough to wake August up.

August’s head lolled in his direction and he winced as though opening his eyes caused him pain. Elias flicked water in his direction, and he slowly crawled over. Together, they washed his face, hair, groin and back. Elias took the time to appreciate his soft, yet firm skin. They shared a wet kiss before standing up and shaking like wet dogs.

They made most of the trek back naked, holding their clothes, until their skin was dry and they were too close to the shore. No tree branch they passed held August’s coat.

“I knew you’d lose it,” Elias nudged his ribs as they dressed, staring at the golden sand just visible between the trees.

“It’s a pain, anyway.” August shrugged and flexed his shoulders freely in his shirt.

Elias buttoned up his own coat and adjusted it over his shoulders, trying not to let too much affection creep into his smile.

A shout came up from the shore and through the trees, and they looked at each other in alarm. They ran for the shore, the canister swinging against Elias’s thigh.

As they breached the edge of the forest, the sight of three figures raised above the others greeted them. Reed had Yardley up on one of the Ace's tables, a knife to his throat, while Leo restrained the navy man.

"What's this?" August broke into a run and skidded down the dunes. Elias ran after him and crashed into his back.

"August! Captain!" A white haired man ran up to them and and gripped August's arms. "Don't let him kill him!"

"Ferris." August smoothed a hand down the man's cheek. "What happened?"

"Yardley tried to kill one of the ladies, so now they're going to kill him." Tears were leaking from the corners of Ferris's eyes. He was a pretty crier, Elias had to admit.

"Who? Is she okay?" Elias pushed August aside.

Ferris nodded. "I bound her wound. It's shallow."

August was running up to the table. He stopped in front of it, and Reed looked down without moving the knife.

"I was given orders." Reed's voice was level. "He hurt Luna. Our doctor." He gestured to Luna, who was lying in the arms of Sandy and Crystal.

Elias's heart stung and he ran to her, touching her warm cheeks.

"I'm fine." Her eyes were smiling crescents. "Reed saved me."

Elias turned back to Reed, who was having a silent conversation with August's eyes. The air between them was almost solid with tension

"We can punish him another way," Darrian was saying, shaking August's elbow.

August swallowed slowly and said, "He was given orders."

He climbed upon the table and took the knife from Reed's hand. Reed yielded it easily but didn't step aside.

Yardley squeaked as August pressed the blade against his neck. A roar went up from his crew, and one of them yelled, “Please, don’t!”

“It’s okay,” Yardley said. “I’d rather die than follow a pirate fucker.”

He spat in August’s face, and then his blood was spurting from his neck and staining August’s white blouse. August handed the knife back to Reed, eyes still on Yardley’s slumped and bleeding body. The roar from his men quietened to a whimper.

~*~

No one so much as picked up a penknife after that. By evening, they settled around a campfire to eat the fish and turtles they’d caught, and drink the liquor Elias’s crew were usually forbidden from touching. Ferris sat by Luna and fed her as though her arms had been cut off. His eyes widened and he looked away whenever he caught Elias looking at him.

Reed was swinging from Elias’s arm, drink sloshing in his hand. Elias snatched it off him and drank it in one head-spinning gulp. Reed whined, looking like he was about to try kissing the liquor out of Elias’s mouth, and Elias wouldn’t have minded.

Instead, he stood up and yelled, “Fight me!”

“What did I say about brawling?” Elias looked up at him with an eyebrow raised.

“I just wanna play.” Reed bowled him over and sat on his stomach.

“Oof! No! I’m too sloshy,” Elias whined and threw him off.

Reed rolled away, giggling, until a boot stopped him. A navy man was looking down at him with a small smirk. “I’ll fight you.”

Elias didn’t object - he looked like a little pixie - Reed could take him.

“Martin,” August warned.

“I’ll play nice, Captain,” he said, helping Reed up, then shoving him roughly back into the sand. It sprayed up, some hitting Elias, so he moved closer to August, keeping his eyes on Martin.

Reed dove for his ankles, sending him tripping over him, and elbowed him in the gut as he fell. They wrestled, hand to hand, rolling around in the sand and kicking each other. When Reed pinned Martin on his back and leant in close, another navy man leapt up and pulled Reed back by the collar.

“Lucas, it’s okay!” Martin said, sitting up.

Lucas let Reed go, and Martin stood up to whisper in his ear. They both looked back at Reed, who was crouching in the sand and rubbing his neck. Martin winked, and Reed grinned. Both Lucas and Martin wandered away from the camp, out of the light of the campfire. Darkness swallowed them. Elias stared at where they were heading until his eyes adjusted. The rock caves and pools at the end of the strip of sand shone dimly in the moonlight.

Barely five minutes later, Reed smoothed a hand across Elias’s shoulders and kissed his ear softly. “It’s okay,” he whispered, already sensing his worry. He sauntered off in the direction the pair of navy men had gone.

Elias clicked his tongue and dug his toe into the sand. The smoke from the fire stung his eyes as he watched him go. August’s hand landed on his thigh and squeezed.

“They’re harmless.”

Elias sucked in a breath between his teeth. “They’d better be.”

When the navy men returned half an hour later without Reed, Elias glared at them and stalked off to where they’d come from.

The sound of the waves against the sand and rocks was rhythmic, save for little splashes like chords against a beat. Elias stepped over the rocks, to where Reed’s clothes and boots were folded in a little pile. He was floating nearby, on his back, eyes shining as they stared up at the waxing moon above.

“Reed,” Elias called out.

Reed splashed upright and beamed at him. “Captain!”

“Did you have fun?”

Reed nodded. “They came all over me.”

“Ah, we’re of the same mind. I came all over August.” Elias smirked.

“Mmm?” Reed perked with interest and floated over to rest his arms on the rocks by Elias’s feet.

Elias pulled off his jacket and unbuckled his boots while he said, “He also asked me to slap him with my cock.”

“Really?” Reed closed his eyes and moaned. “Can I watch, next time?”

“Maybe.” Elias slipped out of his clothes and into the water. It was so cold it stung, and he winced.

Reed laughed. “I’ll warm you.” He wound his arms around Elias’s neck and they pressed their bodies close. They floated with their foreheads together and their noses side by side, silent breaths warming their faces until Reed spoke again. “We should keep him.”

Elias chuckled. “I don’t think he’d like to be kept.”

“Then we give him no other option.” Reed sounded sweet, but the curved glint of a scimitar was in his eyes. He turned them upon the HMS Ace, still anchored amongst those treacherous rocks. He swam back for his belt and unsheathed his sword.

Elias stared at him for a moment. “You want to sink her?”

Reed nodded, and Elias sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, mind careening down too many paths. August would hate him even more, but didn’t he love that hate? And, more importantly, could he bear to see him sail away again?

Elias hefted himself up and grabbed his sword. “Alright. Let’s sink this ship.”

“Yes!” Reed hissed and dove under the rippling water.

They held their breath as long as they could as they swam, only surfacing to take in deep breaths. Elias’s eyes stung in the salt water, but he kept them on Reed’s kicking legs. Little ripples of water flowed out from his feet, but never splashed. He swam to the hull of the Ace, where the wood had been gouged by rocks.

He turned back to Elias and said, “Do you want to start us off?”

Elias took in a deep breath and wiped his hair out of his face. It floated all around him like oil. He swung his sword up with an arcing splash, and cleaved a mangled piece of wood off the hull. The hole was a little bigger, now. Reed jabbed his sword in underneath the water level and tilted it up. The wood creaked, and Elias winced as though he was watching a human be butchered. Even so, he hacked at the hole, lengthening it until it was big enough to start taking in water.

They both swam backwards, laughing, as it shuddered under the weight of its watery new cargo.

“We should go back,” Elias said. “Pretend we were swimming the whole time.”

“And hide our rusty swords,” Reed added.

Elias stared at his sword, frowning at the salty droplets lining its edge, then dropped it into the depths below. Reed copied him, then they breathed in long and deep for the swim back to their clothes.

By the time they reached them, the ship was on a lean. Suddenly, it shuddered, groaned, and began to sink in earnest. Reed pressed his laughter into Elias’s shoulder as an animalistic screech arose from the campsite. Someone ran from the group and into the surf, while another chased them and held them back. The waves splashed about them as another screech erupted, and the ship slowly fell beneath the surface.


	5. Chapter 5

August was using a wide blade to saw through a log one of Elias' men had felled. He had never done such a thing before, and he was a little distracted by the dual mutterings of, "I can't believe we're fixing a pirate ship," and, "I can't believe we're letting king-fuckers sail with us." The planks of wood he was producing were wobbly, no straight lines, chips hacked out of them. Opposite him, Reed's pile was full of perfect rectangles. Still, he smiled at August as they worked, pointing out the birds that flew over the cornflower blue sky and trying to guess their species.

Elias walked up to them and hefted an armful of wood into a pile. As soon as he caught sight of August's creations, he started cackling.

"Oh dear." He wiped a tear from his eye. "Who ever let you near a knife?"

August huffed. "I've never done carpentry before."

"Why don't you take a break and see how our invalids are faring?" Elias gave him a benign smile that was more terrifying than his glare.

"My pleasure." August smiled in much the same way, and dropped the blade on the log.

Reed laughed and squeezed his hand as he left. August's skin tingled where he'd touched him, and he stared at his palm, blushing.

He walked through the the various stages of woodwork, and avoided the eyes of those who were trying to make hull patches out of the wobbly planks he'd carved. At least they would do until the ship reached a port and an experienced shipmaker. Or another ship to steal. August only hoped he was on a brand new king-granted ship before the stealing began.

He opened the flap of the infirmary tent and stepped inside.

Luna was sitting in her hammock-cot, propped up on cushions and reading a leather bound book. Her chest was bound with cloth bandages under her sheet. She tensed when she saw August, and so did Zitao. His skin had lost its previous pallor and his eyes were only glassy with tears.

Ferris was asleep in the other makeshift bed, a pile of blankets and cushions on the floor. His expression was so peaceful, no worry lines in his forehead. August was loathe to disturb him, so he sat on the outermost cushion and crossed his legs. Even so, Ferris's throat quivered with a whimper, his eyebrows scrunched, and his eyelashes fluttered. August smoothed his hand through his hair to comfort him, and he sighed.

"Darling," Ferris mumbled and nuzzled against the hand.

August cupped his jaw and bent down to kiss his pink lips. Ferris responded with passion slowed by lethargy. His hand slid up August's back, warm through his linen shirt. It tightened when August tried to sit back up, so August flopped down and rested his head on Ferris's chest, instead. He flicked at one of the buttons on Ferris's coat.

"I don't have a ship, anymore."

Ferris kissed the top of his head. "Commander Simon will give you another one. You've done so much for the crown."

"If we make it back to land."

"I like it here." Ferris drew circles on the small of August's back. "I think I'll like it more when the pirates are gone."

"What do you mean?" August sat up and stared hard down at Ferris.

Ferris's voice quivered. "I'll go wherever you go."

August's shoulders slumped. "Good. Because I won't be healed by anyone else."

"Don't be foolish." Ferris squeezed his hip. "What if something happens to me?"

August's skin prickled and he felt what others described as seasickness. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Then...keep up the peaceful cooperation, and maybe we'll all be safe."

August huffed and stared at Ferris' chest instead of his face.

"You like Elias. Can't you just work out your aggression on him, without hurting each other?"

August blushed and looked at Ferris in alarm.

Ferris rolled his eyes. "Everyone knows. Why wouldn't I know?"

August gulped. "Why haven't you made a fuss?"

"I know I'll never be your only one. I just need to be your favourite."

"Right." August lay back on Ferris' chest, to hide the frightened darting of his eyes.

Ferris' arms tightened around August. "Can you hear my heart?"

August shook his head, and the coat jingled.

"My stethoscope’s in my other tent."

August knew what that meant. He sat up, nodding. They clasped hands as they stood and left the infirmary. Ferris' tent beside it was much smaller, with a long table covered in square, white cushions and a desk covered in utensils. Ferris bypassed the grizzly, sharp ones and picked up the stethoscope.

"Okay." He beamed at August. "Take off your shirt, Captain." He turned the word into a breath like a tropical breeze. His smile lilted up to the side.

August pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the woven mat covering the ground. He got up onto the table and sat with his legs stretched out in front of him. Ferris reached up and applied gentle pressure to his shoulder, until he lay down. The cushions were firm and textured beneath his back.

Ferris gently lay the cool chestpiece over August's heart, the earpieces tucked snug beneath his white hair. August breathed regularly and stared with steady patience into Ferris' eyes.

After a moment, Ferris smirked and said, "Your heart's beating so fast."

August rose up onto his elbows and said, "What can you do for me?"

"Well," Ferris's eyes slowly raked down August's body, "I'll have to examine you everywhere, to make sure I'm giving you the right treatment."

August bit his lip, and his hands instantly dove for his fly. He unbuttoned his breeches while Ferris trailed the backs of his fingers down his chest and stomach.

Sunlight suddenly erupted from the tent flap behind August, and Ferris jumped, retracting his hand. His stethoscope fell to the ground.

"Doctor, Caleb hurt himself cutting a log. There's - ah - a lot of blood!" Lucas's voice called into the tent.

Ferris nodded and turned to August, moving like a sparrow. "Sorry, darling. Looks like I need that table."

August nodded dumbly and scrambled off the table, buttoning his breeches. Ferris' doctor’s bag swung out beside his thigh as he bolted from the tent. The flap fell down and shrouded August in gloom once more. He bent down to pick up his shirt and shook the sand out of it. The lace edging the collar and cuffs still had gold and brown granules stuck in the loops of thread. He shrugged it on and left the tent, squinting at the bright, low sun.

Ferris was already across the beach, with a crowd of the Ace's crew surrounding him. August thought about watching, too, but figured he'd better make himself useful. He grabbed a fishing pole from the fishing tent, guarding his mouth and nose against the smell with his sleeve.

For the rest of the afternoon, he cast his line out from the rocks beside the beach, around the corner from the other fishermen. He didn't want company, only the rippling patterns of sea to stare back at him. Well, perhaps he wanted a certain type of company.

~*~

August was full. It was only right that he should be, since he'd caught the majority of that night's dinner. Elias was across the campfire from him, talking loudly with the man he called N. His legs kicked up whenever he laughed, and the flickering shadows played along his thighs. August gulped and played with the hem of his untucked shirt.

The night beyond their camp was pitch black, only the occasional wink from the sea. Ferris was still holed up in his tent. August vaguely hoped Caleb would be okay, but mostly he was just annoyed. Ferris's gentle, precise hands would be preoccupied for the rest of the night.

August hefted himself up and walked the long way around the campfire, so he could brush his hand against Elias's neck. Elias jumped and stared at August in alarm, then his face softened. N looked up at him, his lips pursed and turned downwards. August flushed and stalked away, across the sand, until he was out of the campfire's light.

He walked slowly in the darkness until his eyes were better at fighting its press. He located Elias's silver and purple four cornered tent and slipped inside.

Someone gasped, and suddenly cushions were moving at a rapid speed. Elias's tent was full of them, embroidered in a multitude of colours. Behind a wall of them, Reed crouched. His bare shoulders shone dimly. His eyes flickered over to the side of the tent, and August noticed his gun nestled between the canvas and a cushion. He tensed and froze with his hand gripping the tent flap.

"Oh! It's you." Reed's smile showed so many teeth. He straightened up and the cushions sagged around him to reveal his naked body. "It looks like we had the same idea."

August's breath hitched at the sight of his muscular arms, firm chest and half-erect cock. His eyes slipped bashfully to his feet, and he stared at a nearby cushion.

"Ridiculous tent," he muttered.

"I prepared it just how he likes." Reed's voice was soft, warm and suggestive. He crawled forward with a deliciously bowed back. "You should come inside."

"Won't he be mad?" August said, even as he stepped into the tent and dropped to his knees.

"Don't you like it when he's mad?" Reed's eyes glinted in the dark.

"I do," August groaned.

He sank into Reed's kiss, into his soft hums and sharp sucks, and plunged his tongue into his mouth. Reed's hands were up inside his shirt, running over his abs as he sucked greedily at his tongue. They were so soft and uncalloused, just a little dry and cracking from their years out at sea. The skin of his chest was much softer. August rubbed at his nipples until he squirmed and broke the kiss.

Slowly, August lifted his shirt as Reed's eyes devoured him. Before he'd even flung the shirt away, Reed was ripping his breeches and drawers from his hips and legs. August gasped as a hot tongue, plush lips and wicked teeth attacked his upper thigh. His cock twitched and throbbed, so close to Reed's cheek.

Reed lifted his head and observed the member, his tongue traveling in a circle around his lips.

"Lick it," August commanded, and Reed did, all the way along the underside. He nearly choked on his moan.

Then Reed's touch left, and he rested his elbows on a cushion. He rolled his hips, still up in the air. August groaned and slid his hand down his spine, to dip a finger between his ass cheeks. The slickness that met it made his cock throb again, and a bead of precome dripped down into Reed's hair.

"Hey!" Reed lifted a hand to wipe at the sticky strands.

August growled, sat back on his haunches, and grabbed Reed's wrist. He pressed his slick finger into Reed's gasping mouth. Reed's eyes lost their focus as his tongue swirled around the fingertip. August smiled and slipped the finger out. He circled around behind Reed and spread his cheeks with his thumbs. A little oil had leaked from his hole, and August pushed it back inside. Reed moaned low in his throat and squeezed around the finger as it probed him.

August slid his finger out and jerked his cock a couple of times, then pressed the head against that slick rim.

"Yes!" Reed moaned and pushed back.

August grabbed his hips and slammed in hard, and Reed's harsh, shocked moan shook his body. He didn't waste time before rocking his hips forward. August pulled out almost all the way, then slammed back in, producing another moan, almost a yell. Reed's nails dug into cushions as August started a rough rhythm.

The tent flap was thrown aside and Elias stood before them, hair twirling and tangling over the jewels pinned to his coat. August's hips faltered and stilled, and Reed lifted up onto his hands.

"What's this?" Elias clicked his tongue and stepped inside, letting the flap drape down behind him.

August couldn't make his mouth work, so he just stared at Elias with wide eyes. His legs started to shake, and he shifted, making Reed moan.

Elias stepped forward and nudged Reed's cheek with the toe of his boot. Reed nuzzled the leather and hummed softly. He reached up and tugged at Elias's knee, encouraging him to kneel before him. Those soft fingers were pulling at Elias's fly and waistband before August had figured out what was going on. Elias smirked at August as his cock came into view, then was hidden by Reed's head. August's eyes slid half closed at the wet sounds Reed's mouth made and the moan that poured from Elias's lips.

After a moment, Elias murmured, "Move."

August did as he was told, slamming into Reed and shunting him forward. Elias gasped and shuddered, and August cursed the collar shielding his arching neck from view.

August resumed his earlier pace, watching Elias's hips rock in to meet it. Reed's moans were muffled, but remained loud. His body was solid and felt unbreakable between them. Even as they sped up, he squeezed rhythmically around August.

"Doesn't he choke?" August's voice came out gruff. He slammed in harder, in the hopes of making him gag on Elias's cock.

"No," Elias said with clear pride as he fisted a hand in Reed's hair and shoved his face right up against his pelvis. Reed groaned frantically, clawed at Elias's hip, and clenched spasmodically around August, but didn't choke. When he released him, Reed went straight back to bobbing his head on Elias's cock. It was almost better than choking.

Elias kept his hand in Reed's hair, now running softly through the strands. His eyes were on August in between flutters of his wet eyelashes. They gleamed in the dark. August took one last look at his pleasured face and rocking hips before closing his eyes and tensing for his orgasm. He rode it out with his head thrown back, choking on his moans.

He stilled, and Reed squeezed around his now flaccid cock. Aftershocks fluttered and shook through him. Reed whined around Elias, and August cracked his eyes open just in time to see Elias shudder his release. August sighed at the sight of his pink cheeks and parted lips, and wished he could come all over again.

Reed trembled and squirmed between them. Elias tilted his chin up and pursed his lips at him.

"Poor thing," he cooed. "Turn around."

August slipped out of Reed, so he could do as he was bidden. Still on all fours, his mouth edged with milky white, he looked up at August through wet eyes. Elias dove down behind him and pressed his face between his ass cheeks. The loud slurp he made, and the louder moan from Reed made August's spent cock twitch. He leant over to lick at Reed's lips, cleaning Elias's salty taste off them. Reed wrapped his arms around his neck and used him to lift himself up. His trembling chest pressed against August's, while his back curved out to meet Elias's mouth. Tongue driving into Reed's mouth and lapping up all he hadn't swallowed, August tilted his head and watched Elias below. Elias's eyes lifted to meet his, and all three moaned.

Reed was shaking so hard, clinging to August's shoulders and digging his blunt nails in. He bit August's lip, sending an over sensitive tingle down his face. August smoothed his hand down Reed's chest, to his stomach, making him buck forwards. It only took one stroke down his cock for him to cover August's hand in his release. His lips unslotted from August's as he moaned deep and loud.

He rolled onto the cushions and away from the two captains, where he lay on his back, limbs splayed, eyes shut and lips smiling. Elias blinked up at August and wiped his glistening mouth on the back of his hand. They both fell into similarly splayed positions, then shuffled close together. Their fingers twined as they fell asleep.

~*~

"August! Help!" The screech was raw, scratching through the air and ripping into Elias's tent. Underneath the panic, it was undeniably Ferris.

August sprung upright, grabbed Reed's gun from the edge of the tent, and ran outside. The cold air reminded him he was naked. Sand filtered between his toes as he ran across the beach to the doctor's tent. The sun was still rising, hidden by the wall of foliage, but it was light enough for him to see Ferris's thrashing form being carried in the large arms of a pirate. Patrick was next to him, with both Zitao and Caleb slung over his shoulders.

"What are you doing? Put them down!" August screamed and cocked the gun. He aimed it at the pirate, but he was still too far away for at hit.

Zitao yelled, "Don't shoot! August, let us go!"

Ferris cried, "No, you let me go!"

As soon as August was close enough, he shot the pirate in the face. He screamed and dropped Ferris, who scrambled towards August. Patrick yelped, dropped the two invalids, and ran towards the surf. Zitao cursed while Caleb groaned and lay in the sand, clutching his bandaged arm.

As soon as August noticed what Patrick was running towards, he let out an inhuman screech and started chasing him. A row boat was waiting in the shallow water, bobbing over frothy white waves. A female pirate sat ready with the oars. Every single other rowboat was out among the rocks, winding their way towards Hades' Mermaid.

Patrick jumped into the rowboat, and he and the pirate unsheathed their swords, ready for August's advance. Before he could reach them, a howl of pain erupted behind him, and he stumbled in the soft sand. He looked back. Amber was running out of Elias's tent, chased by a naked Reed. August changed course, aiming to cut her off before she reached the rowboat.

He got a good, clean shot of her arm, staining her blue coat red, but she kept running, veering away from him in a skidding curve. His bare feet slipped and he fell face first. Sand pressed into his eyes and every inhale was full of grit. He sat up, coughing, to see a blurry image of the rowboat launching off. Adrenaline propelled him into the surf, where he scrambled, swam, spluttered and screamed in rage until soft, firm hands dragged him back to the wet sand. It scraped along his back, sharp with shells.

Reed's face stared down at him. Every muscle was succumbing to the gravity of defeat.

"August! Are you okay? Lay him on his side; he might've swallowed water." Ferris's voice skittered beside him.

Reed rolled August onto his side, where he coughed and pressed his cheek into the wet sand beneath him.

"Elias's been stabbed. Please help him," Reed said. Ferris's footsteps padded away.

"Stabbed?" August croaked.

Reed nodded with a grim, strained mouth. "In the eye."

August's gut clenched. He hefted himself up and stood on wobbly legs while Reed steadied him by the forearms. They walked up the beach to Elias's tent. Zitao was carrying Caleb into the infirmary tent while a group of pirates and navy men in various states of dress watched from their tent flaps.

Behind them, Hades' Mermaid sailed out to sea. August swallowed against the watery feeling in his chest and face. Elias's good eye didn't need to see tears.

Inside the tent, Ferris was winding a bandage around Elias's head, over his left eye. Blood-stained bandages were piled and wadded up on a patch of cushion-less ground. A cup of amber liquid sat beside Elias's head.

"August!" Elias chirped and laughed rapidly. "Ferris's going to made me an eyepatch." His speech was slightly slurred, and his good eye wouldn't focus.

"You couldn't save the eye?" August asked, and Ferris shook his head.

"It's okay." Elias waved his hand in front of August's face. "What happened to Amber?"

Reed dropped to his knees and started rubbing Elias's shoulder. He looked up at August with wide eyes and lips pressed together. August winced.

"What?" Elias demanded and tried to stand, but Ferris easily pressed him back down.

"She took off with the ship and the rowboats," August said to the ground.

"And half our crews," Reed added softly.

"What?" Elias repeated, louder, scratching through his throat. He blinked at the three men surrounding him, then slumped backwards, eye rolling up into its lid. The only thing stopping his head from hitting the ground was Reed's arms around his shoulders.

Ferris tied the bandage off and stared into Elias's face. He slapped his cheek lightly, and Elias scrunched his nose and groaned. Elias's eyelashes fluttered and he whimpered.

"I'm not going to make it." His voice was like strained soup.

Ferris opened his mouth to object, but Elias continued. His melodramatic whisper was more commanding than any other's shout.

"August, I have to tell you something. In return, you have to promise me something."

August's heart started palpitating and he gripped a cushion by his knee. The satin slipped against his hand, and the movement drove a barb into his mind.

"Promise you'll bury me under a fruit tree, so my body can live on in everyone's stomachs. Maybe an apple tree. Or peach. Peaches are nice."

"Elias, you're not dying," August interrupted.

"I broke your ship. That's why it sank. I just wanted-"

Elias was cut off as August dove for him and jammed his thumb against the bandage, right in his eye socket. The material bowed inwards and Elias screamed. Before August could do any damage, Reed threw him back, where he sprawled against the cushions, naked and vulnerable. Beside Elias, Ferris was pressing a smile between his lips, while his eyes danced.

"What are you smiling about?" August demanded.

"I'm not smiling!" It only released his toothy grin over his face.

August got up into a crouch, hot air blowing out his nostrils, but was kept at bay by Reed's hand.

"Take it up with me. It was my idea."

August growled and threw himself out of the tent.

~*~

Three empty turtle shells sat before August, mottled brown and green, and harder than the hull of his ship, certainly. He knocked on one, then winced and sucked on his knuckle.

Darrian entered the kitchen tent and clapped his hands against his thighs, forcing a smile. "What are you doing?"

August looked up and fixed him with a hard stare. "A man in a bar once told me he made it off an uncharted island by making a raft of turtle shells. We just need to hunt some more turtles and make some oars, and then we might catch up with them. You know...if we row really hard."

Darrian opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "How late in the night was this?"

August shrugged. "What's that got to do with it?"

Darrian placed a hand on August's shoulder and squeezed. "There's fresh water and fruit in the forest. Fish just off shore. The turtles are good to eat, and I'm not sure their shells will make a good raft. Why don't we just make the best of what we've got here?"

August's lips thinned. "But Elias - Elias - he... I can't live here with him."

"August," Darrian's lips quirked up at the corners, and it was hard to take his firm tone seriously, "you and I both know that if you rowed out of here and found a ship, you'd sail right back to fight him again. And when I say fight, I don't mean fight. So save yourself the trouble."

"Why aren't you angrier at him?" August shoved the turtle shells away from him. They clattered against a big crock pot at the end of the table.

"He lost his ship and his eye. I don't have to be mad, because fate already punished him."

"That..." August bit his lip. "I like that logic."

~*~

The salty air was making August's nose run and sting far more than it ever had in his life. Shore air was too windy. It buffeted his bare chest and carried the sweet scent of both living and rotting foliage.

A pair of boots stepped into his line of vision, shiny black against the craggy rock. August looked up to see Elias with his hair tied up in a tangled pony tail under his bandage. He was coatless, and his linen shirt rippled against his torso, sketching his lean muscles into the cream fabric. August gulped and looked down at the waves crashing on the rocks below.

"If you want to throw me down there, I won't fight you," Elias said.

August looked back up and met his lonely eye with two fierce ones. "I always want you to fight me."

Elias dropped down and sat next to August. "Good." He punched August's arm lightly.

August grabbed his wrist and pulled him in for a hard kiss.


End file.
